The terrible Bhishma!!

[syvedi40]

Thanks Devi for the excellent analysis!

[devisarada]

Bhishma Pitamaha is one of my favourite people in the Mahabharata. He is very strong, and virtuous, loving, compassionate and just and stands by his word. He finds himself caught on the horns of a great dilemma, by virtue of the oath he has taken to protect the throne of Hastinapur: his integrity and respect for the bond of his oath aligns him with Dhuryodhan at Kurekshetra. (field of Dharma), and yet, he knows that Krishna and the Pandavas are on the right path, and that Dhuryodhan must be stopped. Although he is by now old and tired, he is still a formidable warrior who has the respect and admiration of both sides. Without having Bhishma on his side, Dhuryodhan would probably not have been able to attract as mainy notable allies as he did. Bhishma's reputation of fairness was beyond reproach.


The battle at Kurukshetra at having at last been joined, Bhishma then must find a way to satisfy his oath, and see that Dharma again is victorious. Seeing that Dhuryodhan's side is vanquished, and that the Pandavas are poised to rule, he finally allows himself to die.

[lmanzo]

Bhishma Pitamaha is one of my favourite people in the Mahabharata. He is very strong, and virtuous, loving, compassionate and just and stands by his word.

Personally, I have my problems with Bhisma. First of all, Santanu's infatuation with Satyavati should have remained just that. She was obviously from a low-class family (fishermen), and her father drove a hard bargain. Santanu could have done much better with a princess for a wife, and would have kept Bhisma in line to the throne. But Bhisma, determined to demonstrate his great piety, went out of his way to force the issue, and behind his father's back he made the deal that kept him off the throne.

You could very well point to this decision by Bhisma as being the root cause of all the trouble leading to Kurukshetra.

Then, Bhisma got a 2nd opportunity to set things right when his brothers Citraangada and Vicitravirya died childless-- Satyavati let him off the hook and asked him to father children on their wives. Bhisma decided instead to refuse and held to his vow. Again, if he had done the practical thing, he'd have fathered the children and Vyasa would never have gotten a chance to curse the eldest son to blindness.

So there are two points in the story where Bhisma turned events straight torwards the great battle.

Finally, during the 1st Dice Match, why did Bhisma remain silent? Draupadi was surrounded by her husbands' family and was being dishonored before them all. What constrained Bhisma from taking action at that point? After the king, Bhisma had the highest authority, and as the King's elder and quasi-father, he could very well have spoken up.

There is strange element of passive-aggressiveness about Bhisma. When he has the opportunity to act, he turns away, until the very end when he finally gets his opportunity to sacrifice his own life in a spectacular manner.

[jaswant]

Finally, during the 1st Dice Match, why did Bhisma remain silent? Draupadi was surrounded by her husbands' family and was being dishonored before them all. What constrained Bhisma from taking action at that point? After the king, Bhisma had the highest authority, and as the King's elder and quasi-father, he could very well have spoken up.
.

This point also puzzels me...

Draupadi did remark on the battlefield where Bhisma was on the bed of arrows...where was all this dharma when i was being disrobed ?.... Bhisma does not reply to Draupadi

jaswant

[kd gupta]

Om Shanti,
Why is Bhishma called the Terrible? I can understand the concept of not body but soul. Soul not have been created nor can it be destroyed. Not able to be burned or pierced. Therefore Bhishma was able to rest comfortably even though he was pierced with arrows.

But what does Arjuns arrows represent? What exactly is this story trying to teach me?


Om Shanti,
Hiwaunis

Good observation , actually Bhishma is not called terrible , but Bhishma means terrible .
See , who was Bhishma in mahabharat ? That person , who took the vow to remain unmarried throughout the entire life , that person who challenged and blew the conchshell first , he who surrendered when broke Krsn�s vow not to hold the weapon .
Krsn tells that every person who holds the wisdom and that is also called Devotion to Almighty is a Bhishma, above the everybody, who claims to possess the Gyan and Karm . This is also , because the knowledge and duty is of many say at least 3 types , but the devotion is always One .
Manmanaa bhava madbhakto madyaajee maam namaskuru;
Maamevaishyasi satyam te pratijaane priyo�si me.
Fix thy mind [ KNOWLEDGE ] on Me, be DEVOTED to Me, sacrifice [ DUTY ] to Me, bow down to Me. Thou shalt
come even to Me; truly do I promise unto thee, (for) thou art dear to Me.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~

namast�

This point also puzzels me...

Draupadi did remark on the battlefield where Bhisma was on the bed of arrows...where was all this dharma when i was being disrobed ?.... Bhisma does not reply to Draupadi

saidevo offers us the following:

1. A classic affirmation of this truth came from the great Bhishma Pitamaha who was lying on his bed of arrows in the Mahabharata warfield. When Pandavas sought his guidance in politics, and Bhishma obliged them, Darupati laughed. When Bhishma asked her the reason for her laugh, she said the old man had remained mute and passive when she was being insulted by the Kauravas and her sari was snatched. She laughed at the glaring incongruity that a man who submitted to the policy of muteness at that critical time should advise Pandavas to be fair and honest in politics. Bhishma replied that his behaviour was due to the food he ate sitting with the Kauvaras, which was not procured, prepared and served with good intentions.

from post 2: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...ht=bishma+food

praṇām

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~

namasté kd gupta writes,

actually Bhishma is not called terrible , but Bhishma means terrible . See , who was Bhishma in mahabharat ? That person , who took the vow to remain unmarried throughout the entire life .

Yes, this is true. Lets take a look at the beauty of this word bhīṣma and why it's a perfect fit.

bhīṣma means terrible , dreadful , as kd gupta informs us; it was a most rigid vow bhīṣma takes for his entire life.


Yet if we look at this word as a composite bhī +īṣma we find it more insightful. bhī is defined as to fear, to put in a fright. But who is bhīṣma putting in a fright to? To īṣma. Who is this īṣma ? It is another name for kāmadeva . Bhīṣma gives fear to kāmadeva by taking this vow for his full life.

And who is this kāmadeva ? none other then the god of love, some say passion and desire.


praṇām